for Business

How to make
great Pins
Pinterest is a visual bookmarking
tool that helps you discover and
save ideas for all your projects
and interests.
We want billions of people to live more inspired livesand businesses
are a huge part of making that possible. Content from businesses
plays a major role in helping people pursue their interests and bring
their ideas to life. We want Pins from businesses to be among the
best you see on Pinterest, and thats why weve compiled this guide
of creative tips to help. (If youre using Promoted Pins, check out our
advertising rules for more specific dos and donts.)

Things to consider:
Whats your primary goal for this Pin?
What does your brand value?
What is your brands persona? If it were a person, how would
you describe it?
What makes your brand unique?
How do you want people to feel after interacting with your brand?
What do you want people to remember about your brand?

Pins should be:

H E L P F U L Informative and useful to people
B E A U T I F U L So compelling and creative you have to look closer
A C T I O N A B L E Helping people take action on their interests

How to make great Pins | 1

for Business

How to make great Pins | 2

Pins should be helpful

Make them informative and useful to people

Write thoughtful, detailed descriptions

Every Pin should have a description that gives context. The best descriptions
make Pins more inspirational and also provide extra information so people
can figure out if somethings right for them. They should mention the most
compelling aspects of the Pin and inspire people to do something. They also
use correct capitalization and punctuation.
Images shouldnt contain promotional information (10% off or Two for
$9.99!), calls to action (Call now!) or references to Pinterest functionality
(Click here to pin!).
Dont include hashtags in either the image or description.
While only about 75-100 characters of your description will appear in grid view,
you can include up to 500 and theyll all appear when people click to see the Pin
close-up. Generally speaking, more characters mean more helpful details and
more opportunities to show up in search results.

Style under wraps. Our exclusive

Nike Studio Wraps are designed
to make the most of your pilates,
yoga, dance and barre class, or
any class youd do barefoot.
228

Click here to pin! #watches #sale

29

2
Vivian Chow
Accessorize Yourself

60
Nike Women
SHOE LOVE

Offer instructions and how-tos

Step-by-step instructions and other tutorials help break down complicated
projects and make it easier for people to bring their creative ideas to life.

from Brit + Co

How to Use Neon Straws and

String to Make Easy DIY Planters
Spruce up your space with this
DIY planter.
86

22
Brit Morin
To Make

Tutorial: how to style a corner

gallery wall.
1607

207

Elsie Larson of A Beautiful Mess

D.I.Y. home decor

Use lists to help curate

Curated lists are totally save-worthy because they cut out some of the work in
searching for the perfect recipes, products and more.
Lists are a good way to create Pins that appeal to different audiencessee
which ones take off and make more like them.

from BuzzFeed Life

Grilled cheese sandwiches that all

ages will love
416

41
Martha Stewart Living
Dinner Recipes

15 Spectacular Places You Must

Swim Before You Die
Come on in, the waters fine.
61

14
BuzzFeed Life
Travel

for Business

How to make great Pins | 3

Add simple, clear text overlay

Text overlays can give Pinners a clear takeaway with a quick glance - especially
when a Pins purpose isnt obvious from just the image. Minimize the amount of
text in an image, though, and if its there, make it part of the design.
Be sure all the text is large enough to read easily on mobile or in a grid view.
(Test it out on different devices to be sure!)

Sugar cookies!

Freezing your favorite soup recipe

doesnt require an ice pick. Try this
muffin tin hack!
2052

226

1
Gabe Trionfi
Good Eats

Ziploc brand
Life Made Easy

Keep branding and logos tasteful

Done well, branding can add credibility to your Pin without being distracting
or overly commercial.
If your logo is in the Pin image, make sure its large enough to be seen
in a grid view on mobilebut not so large that it takes over the image.
from GQ

Summer jacket.
9

4
Victor Ng
Style Manual

Best Mens Style for Spring

Let Your Tie Bloom.
235

64

Use Rich Pins wherever possible so your brand stays on the Pin as it
gets repinned.
Avoid talking too much about your brand in the description.

GQ Magazine
GQ Style

Use colors and settings that convey

your brand
Showcase products in an inspirational context by placing them in a
background that conveys the tone of your brand.
Play with photography and coloring if youre showing products on a
white background.

Stumped for gift giving? The REI

Flash 18 Pack is a versatile pack for
day hikes or errands. Check out the
variety of colors on REI.com.
503

167
REI
Gifts for Hikers & Campers

Cozy and colorful knit hats and

gloves are here to liven up your
winter gear. So fun, right?
46

30
Target
Womens Style - Must Haves

for Business

How to make great Pins | 4

Pins should be beautiful

Make them creative and compelling

Use high-quality images

Use high-resolution, professional-quality photographs and illustrations. Dont
use images that are poorly lit, out of focus or otherwise appear amateurish.
Make serving dessert a little
sweeter with our golden servers.
151

Fruit punch.
12

30

3
Alexandra Bond
For sipping

West Elm
Gifts for Her

Size and shape matter

Pins look best when theyre vertically oriented. We recommend an image
aspect ratio of 2:3 to 1:3.5 and a minimum width of 600px.
Bicycle.
16
Annie Lee
Cycle it out

from Bonobos

Castlerock Cashmere Hoodie

Pins get cut off in feeds if the ratio is greater than 1:3.5 so make sure the image
isnt too tall. For example, an image that is 600px wide should be between
900px and 2100px tall.

Help him out with this cashmere

wonder.
68

19
Bonobos
20 Gifts Hell Want to Gram

Pay attention to composition

Dont use more than four separate images in a Pin.
Images should have a focus or a clear themenot just an assortment of
random products.
Dont add a border or other alteration (like rounded corners) to Pin images.
Welcome your baby home to a
tranquil, restful nursery.
114

38
Target
Target Baby

Gadget gift ideas!

2
Evany Thomas
All the Gifts

for Business

How to make great Pins | 5

Pins should be actionable

Help people do the things they see in your Pins

Link out to places that help people

For example, a movie Pin should lead to the trailer or a review,
and a product Pin should lead to where a Pinner can make the
purchase.

Make them Rich Pins when possible

Found on marthastewart.com

Rich Pins have extra details like price, availability or ingredients

right on the Pin so people can do more with their Pins. They
automatically update, too, so the infos always reliable.

Firecracker Ice Pops

Vegetarian Gluten free 10 minutes to make Makes 10
recipe from Martha Stewart

Produce

Baking & Spices

1/2 lb

Blueberries

1/2 lb

Strawberries

1/4 cup

Sugar

Dairy

Avoid time-sensitive information

Pins last forever, so steer clear of including prices or words
like new that wont always be relevant.

from Pine Street Hardware

Terracotta Clay Outdoor Planter

This weekend only: buy one clay
planter and the second one will be
only $5.99